Recommendations for a new technical shoe?

I am looking for a replacement shoe for technical, vertical, crimpy sport. Think Smith Rocks. At present, I use the Evolv Quest AFs, which are great but no longer made. What I would like to see in a replacement shoe:

1. Laceup
2. Stiff enough to edge well (very important), but some level of sensitivity is very important as well.
3. Not ridiculously overpriced
4. Conformable

La Sportiva doesent seem to fit my feet well and they are a rip off so I probably wont get anything from them.

Tenaya Masai or possibly the possibly the Tenaya Ra, but I suspect the Ra may be too downturned?

If Evolv fit your feet check out their website. A couple newnoferings coming up that look great.

Sounds like the 5.10 Verdons kinda fit the bill? I think they look pretty sweet, have not had them on though.

five ten anasazi lace. the whites work for me, haven't tried the new pinks yet. verdons look nice but fit more like a sportiva

5.10 Pinks or Verdon.

jbrown2 wrote:If Evolv fit your feet check out their website. A couple newnoferings coming up that look great.

On that note, I found a pair of Bandet laceups on eBay for a good price. Any idea how sensitive they are? From what I read, they edge well and they should fit my feet well as all other Evolv shoes do, but I am wondering if they are sensitive enough to actually feel anything.

It's always a constant struggle with sensitivity and edging power since both are very important yet you cant really have both as one tends to decrease the other.

Jake Jones wrote:Tenaya Tatanka

i had a pair of tatankas for a day and they were absolutely terrible at vertical climbing on small holds. they have literally zero torsional stiffness. at the end of one pitch (that wasn't even that difficult...) the shoe had rotated around my foot so much that the toes were literally sticking up in the air (like little dutch boy wooden shoes).

i have a pair of ras, and i like them quite a bit - although they are velcro, so they might not be what you are looking for. it took a little bit to get used to them on small holds, but once i figured out how to line my foot up a little differently on the hold than with other shoes, they have been remarkably precise.

I'm so sold on the Tenaya Tafira. Smith Rock is one of the places I use them, and love them. They've lasted me far longer than my old Evolv Shamans, and edge much better. 3.5mm rand, so you can feel the rock better, and my footwork has certainly gotten better since switching due to that. The rubber seems to stick to anything, and has enough of a down turn that you can grip with them, but not so much that they don't work for vertical routes. IMO they are the truly all around shoe. I've done everything from thin finger cracks, to roof routes, steep overhangs and slab, all in the same trip, and they worked great for all of it.
La Sportiva doesn't fit my feet either, and were always painful. The Tafira fit like a glove, and are super comfortable. I've worn them on 3 and 4 pitch routes multiple times.

I think it's odd that you want a technical edging shoe to upgrade from what is essentially a comfort all day shoe.

I had 4 pairs of AF's. I thought they were OK some days, garbage most days. Every shoe suggested here is better than those. It's a sweet position to be in, unless you buy bunny slippers, you're going to be happy.

In the Scarpa lineup I'd recommend the Boostic, even though it's a velcro & expensive. It edges (not "smedge", a technique less useful when you need to stand tall on vertical to slightly overhanging walls) better than anything else in the Scarpa/Sportiva line up.

Some like the Instinct Lace, or the Vapor Lace. For me, while they perform very well new, the last softens up quite quickly. The Instinct Lace is quite a good smedger though... Scarpa is releasing updated versions of both, so that may change.

I know you said sportiva don't fit your feet but have you tried the katana lace? They are wider than your typical sportiva shoe and for me, edge better than anything else.

20 kN wrote: On that note, I found a pair of Bandet laceups on eBay for a good price. Any idea how sensitive they are? From what I read, they edge well and they should fit my feet well as all other Evolv shoes do, but I am wondering if they are sensitive enough to actually feel anything. It's always a constant struggle with sensitivity and edging power since both are very important yet you cant really have both as one tends to decrease the other.

The Bandits are definitely more sensitive than the Quests, and IMO hold their own on technical edging. Personally I think the discontinued Pontas II laceups are one of the best edging shoes I've used. They're not as sensitive as Bandits though.

What size do you wear? I have a pair of Bandit laceups in good condition, size 10 that I'd sell you for $20+shipping. PM me if you want pics of them.

Doug

The Tenaya Inti is the best thin edging shoe I've ever used, but it's velcro.